SMWS 29.161 – A Bodega is Burning (14 year old Laphroaig)

I said I’d be doing this a while back but got sidetracked. I have reviewed a few SMWS Laphroaig in the past and want to put those reviews on here. The SMWS Laphroaig bottlings are simply fantastic and this one was particularly good.

Aged 14 years. 60.4%ABV. Matured in a refill sherry butt. No colourant added, non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength from a single cask.

Nose: The name is pretty accurate here. Burning wood. Straw. Grape flavouring. Charcoal. Earthy, almost muddy, peat. Volcanic ash. Matches. We asphalt on a hot day. Pine. A bit of a woody nut note. Cacao powder. With water a lot more wood, sap and tree bark.

This one totally lives up to its name. Really tastes like a bunch of burning wood. Much more smoky and intense than your regular Laphroaig and the sherry profile here is that really dirty, sulphury sherry so it just adds to that. A lovely glass of fire and brimstone.